Robert Iarusci (born November 8, 1954) is a former star NASL player and member of the Canadian national soccer team. In 2012 as part of the

Canadian Soccer Association The Canadian Soccer Association (; branded as Canada Soccer) is the governing body for soccer in Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs Canadian soccer at the international, professional, a ...

's centennial celebration, he was named to the all-time Canada XI men's team.

Club career

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

, Iarusci played in the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its ...

with

Toronto Italia The National Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997. Teams were primarily based in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The league was renamed to Canadian National Soccer League in 1993 following the folding ...

in 1973. He would play with Italia for three seasons from 1973 till 1975. He began his NASL career with his hometown

Toronto Metros-Croatia Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the fourth-most populous city in North America. The city ...

, playing the 1976 and part of 1977. He played every game as the Toronto won the league championship in 1976. Iarusci played nearly the entire 1977 season in Toronto, but was traded at the end of the season to the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Indepen ...

where he saw time in one game in 1977. He also played the 1978 season in New York, as they won consecutive

Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League (NASL), which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's ...

s. He was traded in the Spring of 1979 to the

Washington Diplomats The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club representing Washington, D.C. Throughout their playing existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium and indoor home matches at the neighboring D.C. A ...

and played there two seasons. Iarusci returned to the Cosmos to play 1981 through 1983, and finished with the San Diego Sockers as the league folded following its 1984 season. Overall Iarusci won four Soccer Bowl titles, three of them in a row.

International career

Iarusci played 27 times for Canada from 1976 through 1983 and captained the team for a number of games. He scored twice, both in qualification for the

1982 World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain from 13 June to 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy, who defeated West Germany 3–1 in th ...

and playing as

sweeper Sweepers are small, tropical marine (occasionally brackish) ray-finned fish of the family (biology), family Pempheridae. Found in the western Atlantic Ocean and Indo-Pacific region, the family contains about 80 species in two genus, genera. One ...

. The first goal on November 1, 1980, in a 2–1 win over the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

in Vancouver and the second in Canada's last match of the

1981 CONCACAF Championship The 1981 CONCACAF Championship, the eighth edition of the CONCACAF Championship, was held in Honduras from 1 to 22 November. All games were played in the Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino in Tegucigalpa. This tournament was won by the host, Hondura ...

tournament against

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. The game finished 2–2 and Canada, along with

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, failed to qualify for the World Cup, finishing a point shy of second place qualifier

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

International goals

:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.''

Post-retirement

Iarusci was an inaugural member of

Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours people and institutions for their contributions to Canadian soccer. It was founded in 1997 by the Ontario Soccer Association and was originally located in Vaughan, Ontario. As of 2024, the Canada Soccer Ha ...

, inducted in 2000. He is currently chairman of the Toronto Azzurri Soccer Club and vice president of the North York Hearts Soccer Club. He is a co-host on Sportsnet 590's "The Soccer Show" and also a colour commentator for

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

home games broadcasts/webcasts on the station.

References

External links

* /

Canada Soccer Hall of Fame The Canada Soccer Hall of Fame honours people and institutions for their contributions to Canadian soccer. It was founded in 1997 by the Ontario Soccer Association and was originally located in Vaughan, Ontario. As of 2024, the Canada Soccer Ha ...

*
NASL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iarusci, Robert 1954 births Living people Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Canada men's international soccer players Canadian National Soccer League players Canadian radio sportscasters Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees Canadian men's soccer players Canadian sports announcers Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Canadian soccer commentators Men's association football defenders North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players New York Cosmos (1970–1985) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Soccer players from Toronto San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) players Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players Toronto Italia players Washington Diplomats (NASL) players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen